Friday, September 1, 2017

#QuiltsForHarvey

After watching the devastation in Texas last weekend, which is still continuing, from Hurricane Harvey, I couldn't sit and do nothing any longer. If you follow me on Instagram and Facebook you've probably seen my posts.

After contacting many people and joining forces with Melinda (@mel_is_a_swapaholic), I wanted to create this blog post as a reference post for anyone who is looking for ways to donate to those affected by Harvey.

MONETARY DONATIONS

First I want to say that probably the most urgent thing they need right now, besides water, is money. Money to help provide the resources that are most needed for food and water, or to meet other needs.

Starting a few days ago, through this Sunday, Sept. 3rd, 100% of my pattern sales will be donated to those affected by Harvey! So hop over to my shop and grab some patterns while you donate to a good cause!!

If you are on Instagram, you can also check out #patternsforHarvey and check out the other designers who are donating their sales, or a percentage of their sales, to Harvey. Though I think some are today only, so pay attention to that.

You can also donate to the Red Cross or LDS Philanthropies, where 100% of the donations go to helping those in need. There are many other organizations you can donate to as well, but be sure to be careful to make sure that 100% of the donations truly go to the cause you are donating to!

FINISHED QUILTS

If you have finished quilts that you would like to donate, here are a few different places that are accepting quilts and will be delivering quilts to those in need:

We are now setting up a response to the continuing devastation on the Texas coast, from Corpus to Rockport, and continuing to the heart-wrenching developments in Houston.

WANT TO HELP? (PLEASE??!!) We are accepting donations of fabric, quilt tops, orphan blocks, backing fabric, batting, gently used quilts, and even cash donations to supply as many quilts as we can, as quickly as we can, to those displaced and suffering from this disaster. We also welcome ALL long-arm quilters familiar with HandiQuilter machines to use our machines in the shop to quilt the tops we have. Quilt binders will be needed, too! As well as people willing to machine wash the finished quilts and add a HUGS label to them. All efforts and contributions will be enormously appreciated.

We ask that you please consider giving of your time, talent, and treasure to help those who are so adversely affected by this historic event. Our classroom and HQ machines will be available for HARVEY HELP from Monday - Thursday this week for anyone who wants to donate their time to this worthy effort. Thank you, from our hearts. Warm and comforting HUGS to all.
#HarveyHelp
EDITED TO ADD: The instant, widespread, and heartfelt responses to this post bring me to tears... quilters **and TEXANS** are such amazing human beings!

You can find updates in their facebook group, and just today they posted that they have already distributed 32 blankets and quilts so far and have 12 more ready to go. Plus many other that are in the progress.

When Hurricane Katrina hit and people were being sent to Austin I was one of the first people to show up at the Convention Center to help them. I quickly joined the Red Cross and worked nonstop with them for weeks. I had to do something. This was pre-Craft Hope and I felt helpless.

I have friends who are still trapped in their homes in Houston as I type this. They are flooded in and have been now for days. I have prayed relentlessly for them and thousands others who are also trapped and/or last their homes already. The videos and photos are the saddest, but we can help. We can do something and that something will matter to someone -- or lots of someones.

Here comes Project 30 :: Quilts for Houston! I'm asking that you spread the word on this one so we can get as many as possible.

Project details:

All items MUST be handmade

Quilts

Crocheted/Knitted Blankets

We need blankets of all sizes - from baby blankets to quilts that will fit an adult or two

Right now there is no deadline on this project. I know quilts are one of the greatest crafting labors of love and you guys have all of the time you need to get them made. I will make sure they get delivered.

I've partnered with one of my friends who is flooded in her house and can't leave. Once the floodwaters recede we will meet up and take them to a local fire department so that the local firemen can donate them for us to families who lost their homes.

There is a delicate system of checks and balances when it comes to natural disasters and donations and I want to guarantee they go to the right folks who need them.

Please join us in making quilts and blankets of all sizes for the victims of that big bully Hurricane Harvey.

Mail them to me at:

1130 Masquerade Dr.

Midlothian, TX

76065

USA

The Linus Connection

You can find their website HERE with info and updates. THIS POST has specific info regarding donations. They are also on Instagram (@thelinusconnection).

They deliver quilts to children only, so something to consider depending on the finished size of your quilt(s) - guidelines for sizes are listed in the image below or on their site, including mailing address.

Here is what you might see going around social media:

Other Quilty Donations

If you don't have finished quilts to donate, but would like to contribute other supplies, quilt blocks, fabric for backing, binding, batting, or money to help pay for shipping costs, AND/OR your TIME there are options for you as well!!

I have teamed up with Melinda (@mel_is_a_swapaholic on Instagram), and you an email us at QuiltsforHarvey{at}gmail{dot}com and let us know what you have and what you are willing to contribute. Please include in the subject line which items you're willing to donate (see the list below). It will help us sort through the emails. :)

Here are all the things we are collecting (mostly Melinda is collecting things, she is seriously AMAZING!!!):

Is anyone else who is collecting quilts and blocks? Please let us
know. We would love to join forces with you!

"Thank you
in advance for any and all help. Ive had so many people offer to help.
I'm completely overwhelmed!"-Melinda

Most recent update from Mel (8/30/17):

"I've spent several hours taking inventory of everything that people have said they are donating and sending my way. (Still working as I type this out.) We have lots of partial and complete quilt tops as well as multiple blocks coming. We are in need of backing fabric, binding, thread and money to ship the quilts to Texas. If you can donate any fabric, please DM me and I will send you my address. If you cannot send fabric, but would still like to help, you can send money via PayPal to QuiltsforHarvey{at}gmail{dot}com #QuiltsforHarvey"

* I will be coordinating quilt tops with those who offer their quilting services. PLEASE INCLUDE:

If donating quilt tops: how many quilt tops you have to donate, and if you have backing and binding fabric to go with it.

If donating quilting services: how many quilts you'd be willing to quilt, so we don't send too many your way.

You can email us at QuiltsForHarvey{at}gmail{dot}com

Monetary donations to help pay for shipping quilts to Texas can be sent to the same address. ("Any money leftover after the quilts have been
shipped to their new Texas homes will be sent to local animal shelters
that have taken in animals who were abandoned during the floods.")

Thank you!!

Side Note:

As I put out the call to help, and as I've contacted others to work with them, while my desire to help and give is tremendous, my biggest concern has also been for those who are helping us out on the receiving end of the finished quilts and donation items. Especially since I am not in Texas and able to help directly, I don't feel like it's my place to send a bunch of "work" for someone else to take care of. It's been in the forefront of my mind to consider the time and effort will be needed to make this process smooth and enjoyable. I have no way of knowing what help will be there to help finish quilts, and do not want to overwhelm anyone with more projects than they can possibly handle.

The people, quilts shops, and organizations in Texas have stepped up in tremendous ways to help and donate and be a part of the process. But we must be careful to remember that they also have families and homes, and are also in the midst of the chaos that is going on along the gulf coast at the moment. With that in mind, please consider the following:

In an effort to be as helpful as possible and lessen the burden of those on the receiving end, please try and finish as much as possible your quilts so that we can more evenly distribute the work among us. I know there are some steps that we simply cannot do on our own, and that is why we have each other! Do not let this stop you from donating, but perhaps before you send a huge stack of orphan blocks, or fabric scraps, ask yourself, "could I bring these any closer to a finished quilt before I send them???" and do your best to try! The more we can do, the quicker these groups will be able to finish the quilts and get them in the hands of those who need them! Rather than bombarding them with more WIPs than they can physically and mentally handle.

That being said, if you have things to donate at any level of the process, we ARE asking for them! So please contact us and let us know what you have and we will send you an address to send them to! :)

OTHER RESOURCES

I want to share a few more resources that I have come across to provide aid to any in need! Hopefully this info will find itself in the hands of those who need it:

JustServe.org: Do you want to be on the ground helping? Check out Just Serve.org and you can find needs in your area. They have a special link for helping in Houston and the surrounding area.

Please share this information with anyone in our community who needs assistance.

Our church, along with numerous others, currently
have a hotline available to submit work orders for specific need
requests related to the damages and for cleanup efforts. By calling the
hotline number, a volunteer will take down the information you need and
create a work order and then attempt to send a volunteer crew out to
help. This includes removing carpet, cutting down tree limbs, etc.

Obviously there's still difficulty getting crews into the neighborhood,
but this will allow us to start the rebuilding process, and they will
come as they are able. The volunteer groups will come from the LDS
Mormon Helping Hands, Catholic Charities, Etc.

Hotline numbers: 800-451-1954 844-965-1386

Thank you so much for your help! For your huge response to the #QuiltsforHarvey request! And for simply being awesome!! I love this quote, and have been so blessed to witness so many of the helpers step to the call to action to help!! Thank you!!

1 comment:

Do you have any tips about shipping finished quilts - the costs are high or do some stop-over to collect quilts in various places? I have some lovely quilts from my mother-in-law, grandmother etc and would so like to help. Also it appears a new system may be heading into the Gulf so the need will remain until end of current hurricane season. So want to help.

I'm so happy you stopped by!

---> My photo hosting site (Photobucket) recently changed owners and they changed their terms, which led to them breaking the links to all my photos. So my site is a bit messed up right now... Just so you know it doesn't normally look like this. ;P